[2] Cabrera stole 9 bases in spring training 2009 for the Padres, and made the opening day roster as a backup infielder.

He got his first hit in the major leagues on April 8, a double off of Cory Wade of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Petco Park.

Cabrera had a solid rookie year debut despite losing two months to a hand injury,[3] batting .255 with 25 steals and 59 runs scored in 103 games with the Padres, but he also led all NL shortstops with 23 errors.

On August 7, Cabrera hit a walk-off grand-slam off the Mets closer Francisco Rodríguez in the bottom of the 9th, capping a Padres win 6 – 2.

Cabrera helped defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 16 (F/10, 6-5) with a game-winning, walk-off RBI that scored another fast rookie, Luis Durango.

[citation needed] Cabrera was the Padres Opening Day shortstop in 2010, but only played in 76 games that year due to a nagging right hamstring injury.

On May 17, he was called up to the major league club when Bartlett was sent to the disabled list after a poor start to the year,[6] and Cabrera became the Padres everyday shortstop.

On July 14 in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cabrera stole home in the 9th inning to score the tying run.

This was the first time in nearly 30 years that a regular season MLB game was won with the tying or go-ahead run scoring on a steal of home in the 9th inning or later.

[9][10] He also set Padres team records with 24 consecutive stolen bases without being caught to start the season, and 28 straight successful steals dating back to 2010.

On August 5, 2013, Cabrera was suspended 50 games, the remainder of the Padres' season, by Major League Baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis.

[26] Cabrera next appeared in the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, in 2019-20 for the Gigantes de Rivas and in 2020-21 for the Tren del Norte.

[30] In a press conference on the day of his suspension, Cabrera admitted to taking a banned substance and apologized to fans and his teammates.

[36] In February 2015, Cabrera reached a plea deal with San Diego County and received a sentence of three years probation, a $655 fine, and eighty hours of volunteer work.